Audio advertising significantly improves business outcomes for marketers, according to a new global study presented this week at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.<\/p>\n
For the first time, leading audio industry organizations in the U.S., Australia, the UK, and Ireland collaborated on a unified research effort examining audio\u2019s role in driving campaign effectiveness. The findings were presented by marketing professor and consultant Mark Ritson during a session titled \u201cThe Secret to Profit and Trust: Audio.\u201d<\/p>\n
The research analysed 1,262 campaigns from the Effie x System1 Databank, spanning 17 years and multiple international markets. According to the study, campaigns that included audio outperformed those without audio across several key business metrics. Campaigns using audio generated 75% higher profits, 81% greater trust, 81% higher levels of price insensitivity and a 19% increase in customer acquisition. Across 14 performance measures, campaigns incorporating audio delivered an average uplift of 22% vs. those that did not.<\/p>\n
The study also found audio plays a significant role in emotionally driven advertising. Researchers said campaigns built around emotional creative generated nearly twice the profit when audio was included. The effect increased further when advertisers paired audio with distinctive sonic branding and maintained campaign consistency over time.<\/p>\n
The project brought together Commercial Radio & Audio in Australia, Radiocentre in the UK, Radiocentre Ireland and the Radio Advertising Bureau in the U.S. The collaboration expanded on earlier Australian research that Ritson previously described as \u201cbeautiful data,\u201d testing the findings against a larger international dataset covering campaigns from the U.S., UK, Ireland and Europe.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a time when advertisers are demanding greater accountability and measurable business outcomes, this research delivers exactly the kind of evidence radio sellers need,\u201d RAB President and CEO Mike Hulvey said. \u201cThese findings reinforce what our industry has long known \u2014 audio doesn\u2019t simply complement a media plan, it amplifies it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hulvey said the research offers broadcasters another tool for demonstrating radio\u2019s value to advertisers. \u201cWhether the objective is driving profit, building trust or acquiring new customers, audio consistently strengthens campaign performance,\u201d he said. \u201cFor local broadcasters, this is another powerful proof point that helps shift the conversation from cost to business results and demonstrates why radio deserves a larger role in today\u2019s media mix.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ritson said the international findings reinforce audio\u2019s effectiveness across markets and campaign objectives.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe case for audio\u2019s effectiveness is unequivocal; in every market we\u2019ve studied globally, audio is the catalyst that makes your whole campaign work harder,\u201d he said. \u201cFor a relatively modest investment, it\u2019s an unfair advantage hiding in plain sight. It\u2019s the kind of evidence you cannot unhear.\u201d<\/p>\n
The presentation concluded with a discussion featuring Little Black Book Managing Editor AU\/NZ Brittney Rigby and System1 Chief Growth Officer Andrew Tindall, who said the data consistently demonstrates the value of emotional audio campaigns. \u201cAcross the globe, the data consistently proves emotional audio campaigns roughly double their profit,\u201d Tindall said. \u201cPair that emotion with distinctive sonic brand assets and run it consistently, and the effect compounds again.\u201d<\/p>\n
The findings are based on campaigns conducted between 2007 and 2023 and were presented during Cannes Lions 2026 as the audio industry continues to make the case for a larger share of advertising budgets.<\/p>\n
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